Death and Gender Roles: An Analysis of Iphigenia at Aulis

Of all the roles assigned to the women of Greek theatre, the most prevalent and seemingly most accepted is that of the sacrificial heroine. Religion was a cornerstone of Greek mythology, and sacrifice was presumably the only way for a female to gain praise that was typically accorded to men. Euripides established sacrifice as a motif in his plays, and the majority found females in the role of the sacrificed, be it as a victim …showed first 75 words of 766 total…

…showed last 75 words of 766 total…wins the people’s praise that she feels she deserves as a martyr. In addition to gaining the adoration that she had hoped for, she escapes with her life- just moments before her execution the goddess sends a deer to replace her at the sacrificial altar. Her ability to escape the role of the woman as inherent property paid off with the sparing of her life, as well as the fullfilment of her heroic status.